


Astray

by HobbitsofMordor



Category: Original Work
Genre: Animal Transformation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-11
Updated: 2017-01-01
Packaged: 2018-08-30 07:22:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,367
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8523814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HobbitsofMordor/pseuds/HobbitsofMordor
Summary: Christian is an ordinary teenager, with an ordinary life. Well, almost ordinary. He rarely gets to see his parents, as they work constantly to keep him happy. Until one fateful day when he discovers what the human race can really do.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first attempt at an Original Work! I hope you enjoy! This won't really run on a consistent schedule, so don't count on frequent updates. Also, if anyone's interested in more lore, then feel free to comment a question! I'll answer anything that is not too plot relevant.

Long ago, in the 13th century, when the Black Death was scouring Europe, there was a nation that few know of. This nation was called by the name: "Shearha". The people who lived there were some of the few people who knew how to use the energy stored within the human body. They could perform great miracles with it, including healing their sick and aiding their poor. But at it's simplest, this energy allowed it's wielder to transform their body into that of an animal. At the age of 12, children were taught how to use their power, starting with that. Every person transformed into a different animal, depending on an invisible trait the Shearhans called their "Spirit Animal".

But one day, Shearha was covered by a great darkness. There were some whose Spirit Animals were said to be evil. Anyone with one of these was instantly banished to a prison called "Darkha". On this day, the prisoners, calling themselves "Darkhans", escaped from the prison and wreaked havoc across Shearha. Just like that, the prosperous land disappeared without a trace.

However, a few of the Shearhans managed to escape from the bloodbath. They were determined to blend in with the other nations, so that if any of the Darkhans had also survived, they wouldn't be slaughtered like their brethren. That brings us to today. The 21st century. Only five men with Shearhan blood remain, having spread out in major cities all over the world. Welcome to New York City, 2016.

* * *

"Hey, Christian! You wanna come over to my house and play some Fifa?" Joe asks.

"Nah," I reply. "I've gotta get home. My parents will flip if they find out I haven't studied for the Biology test yet!" 

"You haven't!?" He sputters. "It's tomorrow!"

"Yeah, which is why I've gotta go!"

"Okay, Chris! See ya tomorrow! Don't stay up too late!"

Phew, I got out of it. I know Joe means well, but I'm not much of a sports guy. He's kinda gullible, though. Like, more than I expected. Of course I've studied for the test!

What I _really_ wanna do is get home and start watching this new anime my friend Cole told me about.

He told me a little bit about it, and it sounds great! He said it's on Crunchyroll, which is perfect because he shares his account with me. What was it called again? I know I wrote it down...

I pull a piece of paper out of my pocket as I walk down the sidewalk.

Oh, right. 'JoJo's Bizzare Adventure'.

I turn down the street to my home and pull the key out of my pocket. As soon as I enter I relock the door and head to my room. My phone vibrates in my pocket as I enter.

_Message from: Mom - Chris! I know you had gym last today, so you had better take a shower! And shave, too!_

Ugh! Of course, I do as she asks. After all, I never get to see her or Dad, and I need to pay them back somehow for everything they do for me.

After my shower, I look in the mirror to check if I really need to shave. 

Wow, I do! I pull a disposable razor out of its package and grab the cheap shaving cream.

Our family is in a pretty bad financial situation, but my parents work from before I wake up until after I go to bed to make sure I have a mostly average life.

Since I'm already looking in the mirror, I take the time to admire my sparkling blue eyes, fair white skin, and messy brown hair. I decide now's a better time than any to check my weight and height as well. I step on an old electronic scale. Huh, would you look at that? 150 lbs. Anyways, I grab a pencil and head to the wall I've always used to check my height. I make sure to keep the pencil level with the top of my head and make a new mark. Looks like I've grown about 2 inches in 4 months.

Now, I can finally log on to Crunchyroll and begin to binge watch. 

But before I can do that, the doorbell rings.

"Seriously?" I mutter.

I quickly get dressed into a presentable state before heading to answer it.

It's probably some random guy trying to sell me something.

"Hello?" I say, opening the door.

"Hello, young sir. You must be Christian. Your friends call you Chris. Fourteen-years-old, fairly calm and collected, likes anime. That's you, right?"

"Um..." I honestly don't know what to say. Wait, I know what to start with. "How do you know all of that?"

"Simple, Chris. I've been watching you. And before you pull that Galaxy S4 out of your pocket and call the police, let me explain."

"Why should I?" I ask.

"Because I feel like you'll be interested in what I have to say."

"Fine. Go on already."

"My name is Malehk. I am one of the few remaining descendants of the Shearhan nation."

"Okay, calling your bluff. There is no, and was never, a nation with people called Shearhans. So unless you have tangible proof-"

I am interrupted by him closing the door and a bright light filling the room. Where Malehk once stood stands a proud wolf. The light once again fills the room, and he is back.

"Okay..." I murmur. "I'm interested."

"I thought that would work."

"How did you do that?"

"I simply tapped into my inner energy, and focused it into this." He tells me, and pulls a band on his wrist down, revealing a faintly glowing gray gem.

"Okay, well how can I do that?"

"Can you at least allow me to tell my story first!?"

"Okay, Okay!"

"I'll skip to the important part because I know your generation's attention span is only about seven seconds. My ancestors were almost all destroyed by evil people known as the Darkhan. The few that survived refused to teach anyone their skills except for their children, to avoid breaking their cover. That proved to be a terrible mistake, as now only five of us remain. That is why I am here. I was walking through the city when I felt a spiritual presence unlike any other. I managed to narrow it down to you. You have an amazing power within you. When I first saw you, I thought you had been training with life energy for years! If we can hone this skill, you could become a proud receiver of the Shearhan inheritance."

"How do we do it!? Do I get to turn into any animal I want?"

"I'm afraid not. You only have the ability to transform into your Spirit Animal." When I look at him inquisitively, he elaborates. "Your Spirit Animal is the culmination of your personality in the form of an animal. The animal it is determines what sorts of things you will be able to do with your energy, as well as decides what you can transform into."

"Well, what's my Spirit Animal?"

"I don't know. I am only able to see if you give me spoken permission."

"So do I just say 'I allow you, Malehk, to see my Spirit Animal' or something?"

"Yes!" He shouts. "I can see it now! Your Spirit Animal is some kind of dog! However, your Spirit is so powerful that that is all I can tell! I cannot tell what breed it is, or how big it is, or anything! If I am able to teach you...we might be able to... No! I will not drag an outsider into this! I will train you, but that is all."

"Okay, so can we begin?"

"Of course! The next step is to get you a gem."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chris goes through the tedious procedure to obtain a gem.

I put my Under Armor sweatshirt on and follow Malehk out of the house.

"So, where do we find one of these gems?" I ask. "And why do I need one?"

"Well, I have a rather large collection at my home." He tells me. "And you need one to help focus your Spiritual energy. But it's not just as simple as picking a random gem. It depends entirely on your Spirit Animal. We're gonna have a bit of trouble finding what type of gem you need because we don't know what breed of dog your Spirit Animal is."

"Is the breed really that important?"

"Dogs are a tricky Spirit Animal. Each breed has so many different personality traits than others. But dogs are also one of the most common Spirit Animals, so the Shearhans had developed a way to test the gems on a person before selecting it. Basically, we'll need to take each gem and see how it reacts. If it is the proper gem for your Spirit, it should glow faintly. Once we find out which type of gem reacts with you, I'll also be able to tell you more about your Animal."

"Alright. So, how long will this take?"

"Truthfully, I don't know."

"Well, that's helpful."

"It's what I'm here for."

"Was that...sarcasm?"

"Yes. What is so surprising?"

"N-nothing."

This guy's personality is sending some pretty mixed signals...sometimes he's completely serious and others he's a complete dork. 

Kinda like me, except I'm always a dork.

You know, maybe I should be a _little_ more cautious around this guy. I mean, I just met him, and here he is dragging me to his house. That's kinda weird.

 _But_ , on the other hand...

I _really_ want to learn how to turn into an animal.

Alright, I've got a plan. The moment he does anything remotely suspicious, I'll call Joe. He lives in this part of town, after all.

"We'll be there in a moment. But before we go in, you must promise me one thing."

"What's that?" I ask.

"You cannot tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_ , about what happens when we meet up."

"You're making it sound like this is gonna happen again!" I chuckle.

"You are making it sound like you thought you could learn to literally reshape your entire body in a single session." Malehk responds, completely serious.

"I...kinda did..."

"Heh, no. If you had been exposed to focusing and controlling life energy prior to today, maybe. But since you haven't, we'll have to deal with that first."

"Oh. Aw."

"Chin up, young man. We're here. But you aren't going in until you promise not to tell anyone a thing about what happens in here."

"Alright." I sigh. "I promise."

"Very good! Now, let us enter!" He grins, unlocking and opening the door.

I am met with an incredibly organized space. I can see four rooms protruding from this hallway. One seems like a bedroom, another like a bathroom. One of the others appears to be a kitchen.

I can't tell what the last one is. A workshop, maybe?

"Welcome to the humble abode of Malehk. You look surprised about something."

"Not to be rude, but, uh, I was expecting your place to be a lot messier." I mutter.

"Christian!" He yells, indignant, before breaking into a laugh. "It's alright. I would have expected the same thing from a man that looks like myself. Now, follow me to my workshop."

So that _is_ what this room is. Called it.

I follow him in and close the door behind me. 

"I've been collecting gems for years," he tells me. "As a matter of fact, I've been looking for students for years, too. So that the Shearhan legacy can live on when the last of us are gone. At our last council, one year ago, I finally managed to convince the other four remaining men with Shearhan blood to find disciples. That isn't important, though," he stops himself. "Here we are, the shelf with the dog gems."

The man gestures to a long shelf with many baskets. Each one contains varying amounts of many different colored gems. 

As I look on in awe, he asks "Shall we get started?"

* * *

"How about this one?" Malehk asks. "Any glow? At all? Faint or not, any glow is helpful."

"Nope. Next."

"How about this black one?"

"Nope. Next."

"What about this tan one?"

"No-wait, there's something! It's very faint, but it's there!"

"Oh, I see it! Good eye, kiddo! Alright, now we know that your Spirit Animal either has at least some tan fur or is a large dog. With those criteria in mind..." he mutters. "Try this one!" He says, handing me a gray one. 

"Nope. Nothing." I sigh, annoyed.

"Hey, this is tedious, I know." Malehk sighs along with me. "But we have to do this. And now we know for sure that your Spirit Animal has a tan-colored coat. Give this one a try." He hands me another tan gem.

I place it up to my wrist and am awarded the same faint glow as last time.

"Not this one."

"Hold on..." He grunts. "Maybe... Your spiritual presence _is_ abnormally strong for someone without training, after all..." He moves towards the farthest basket on the shelf and pulls the only gem in it out. The gem is colored tan and white, mixed together in a swirled pattern. "Sometimes, but only with people such as you, a rare multicolored gem is required. Multicolored gems aren't used too commonly, so we do not know too much about their criteria, but it's worth a shot, wouldn't you agree?"

"Alright." I tell him.

I take the gem out of his hand and press it to my wrist. I am astonished to find it glowing brightly.

"Incredible!" Malehk yelps. "This is unreal! Unfortunately, now all I can tell you about your Spirit Animal is that its coat is at least partly tan. I haven't had time to analyze that gem, so I don't know any more about it, and we want to begin your training today, correct?" I nod. "Well, analyzing that would take a week or two. So, how about we get that gem of yours bound to you. I always like surprises, anyways."

"Sounds good." I grin.

I'm getting closer to my Spirit Animal, I can tell!

Soon, I'll be able to become a dog!


End file.
